Twilight of Fireflies
by Annjirika
Summary: (Finished) For lack of a better cliche: A walk in the park turns into a lesson in love...Plotless fluff. Sokairi. Yuriku{YuffieRiku}
1. Love

_AU and totally OOC. Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Fireflies by Count the Stars._

Kairi -z-z-z-z- Her eyes light up like fireflies - z-z-z-z-z- I love to see her light -z-z-z-z-z

Ah bliss. The clear blue skies...the lush green grass...the cool breeze...and the thousands of bugs. "_God_ what are they attracted to? My sunscreen!" I grumbled. A wasp flew right by my head...or was it a bee. Either way, I shrieked and waved my hands around wildly. "Make them go away!" I whined to my laughing friend.

"They aren't going to hurt you!" Yuffie grinned, rearranging the red and yellow blanket to sit in the shade. "Maybe it's this thing." She jabbed her thumb in its direction. "Bright, flowery color."

"Then why'd we choose it?" I flopped back on the bright patterns and let my arms fall across the width of it. A cloud blocked out the sun for a few seconds, cooling the air a couple degrees. The sun reappeared and I looked over at Yuffie. She sat on her knees, digging through her large purple beach bag. Her finds included my book and her CD player, plus two pairs of sunglasses. "Thanks." I accepted the glasses and slipped them on.

"Perfect day for this you know." Yuffie sighed as she slid the headphones over her ears. I nodded, flicking a miniature black ant off my arm. Her music drifted over to me. I tapped my fingers in rhythm to the familiar song as I rolled over onto my stomach and opened the hardback book. Sounds of barking dogs, pieces of joggers' conversations, and laughing children sealed the cliché summer day. I became distracted as a young boy ran right in front of me and hid in a bush a few feet away, giggling rowdily. I couldn't help but smile; his laughter was contagious.

An older boy with spiky brown hair, looked to be around my age, came jogging around the tree. He paused, taking a swig from the water bottle in his hand and looked around, ending up looking straight at me. His eyes sparkled. "Hey. Have you seen a kid around here? Whitish hair...about this high?" He held his hand holding the water bottle to his waist and put his other hand against the trunk of the tree. I winked and nodded my head ever so slightly toward the giggling bush. He glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and smiled.

"Nope. I haven't seen anyone." I sighed pointedly as I book marked my book and sat up on my knees. Yuffie's music blared through the air. She wasn't paying any attention to this very cute stranger.

The stranger mimicked my sigh. "I guess I'll just have to go then. Saben will have to stay here." More giggling came from the bush. I guessed Saben was the boy's name. The stranger grinned at me and stepped forward. "I'm Sora." He offered his hand to me.

I accepted it and glanced at my oblivious raven-haired friend. "That's Yuffie. I'm Kairi." Sora. What a perfect name for a seemingly flawless guy. I took in his chocolate colored hair and deep blue eyes. He had a great physique and an adorable cheesy smile.

"Kairi. That's a pretty name." He complimented as he let my hand drop. I hadn't even realized we had been holding hands.

"So how are you related to this Saben boy?" I asked with a smile. I patted the blanket next to me but he politely shook his head.

"I'm babysitting for a friend. It's his little brother." Sora replied, sparing a glance in the bush's direction. "Well, I guess I'm gonna go get some ice cream. Too bad Saben wont be there to join me..." He trailed off, sighing melodramatically. He winked and started to walk away.

The bush came to life. "Take me with you Sora!" Saben galloped after the retreating boy's back. Sora turned and pretended to be surprised to see the younger kid. Saben giggled. "I was right there the whole time and you didn't see me!" Sora tsked and shook his head, sparing me a conspiratorial smile. He waved and said goodbye as he was almost literally dragged away by the chattering Saben.

I chuckled to myself and reopened my book, prepared to pretend to read for appearance sake while really marveling at my encounter with this Sora guy. I thought he was gone for good when I heard my name. "Kairi!" I looked up to find Sora jogging toward me, waving his water bottle. "Hey, do you want to join me? Have an ice cream..." His grin was inviting, that was for sure. I bit my lip and glanced at Yuffie questioningly. She had the shadow of a smile sitting on her lips and with a quick wave I knew Sora had her blessing. I wondered if she'd been watching behind those dark sunglasses.

I did my best to flash him what I hoped was a cute smile and stood up. "Sure." His eyes flickered and his grin never faltered.

"C'mon slowpokes!" Saben yelled from far ahead of us. Sora chuckled and shook his head.

"Race ya?" He turned his intense cerulean eyes on me questioningly. "I'll go easy on you."

I smirked and rolled my eyes. "You do that." I paused. "Go."

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z _

_2/24/05: Chapter edited_


	2. Just

_A/N: Chapter rewritten 2/24/05_

- Yuffie - It seems like I can finally rest my head on something real - I like the way that feels -  
  
"You coming with?" I asked, slinging the beach bag over my shoulder. I knew the answer before I even asked the question. The redhead stumbled across the room, trying to get in her earring and slip on her shoe at the same time. She swore and sucked on her thumb. I figured she'd poked herself in her haste to be ready on time.

"No, I'm going on a date. You know that." Kairi muttered, staring into the mirror. She smudged her lip-gloss and pushed her short hair behind her ears. Ah, I did know that but I had to ask anyway. Ever since Sora called her last night she'd been in a state of ecstasy, at least until about 3 hours ago when she frantically scrambled herself together the lunch date. "I don't look over done do I?" She asked and spun around to face me with a nervous expression.

Casting a contemplative glance at her jeans and soft blue blouse I smiled and shook my head. "You look perfect Kai." I assured her. I dug in my bag and emerged with my sunglasses. "There we go. Alright. Have fun." I gave her a quick hug, wished her luck, and slipped out the front door. The park was a little ways from the apartment, enough time to listen to a few songs on the radio at least. I found a parking spot and headed for an open, quiet area.

I ended up in the same place as last time luckily, under the shade and cool grass of the big tree. After slipping on my headphones and pulling up a book, I was officially ready for a long, relaxing day of summer vacation. Around an hour later, I was vaguely aware of being watched. I kept my eyes closed; figuring whoever it was would go away. But the shadow stayed and the feeling continued to creep around the back of my neck. I opened one eye and shot upright.

I recognized the younger boy from the last time and I recalled his name being something like Saben. Although I hadn't gotten a good look at him, I'd remembered that white hair. He looked at me with big, green eyes and a slightly open mouth. "Can I help you?" I asked, letting the headphones fall around my neck. The sounds of Count the Stars blasted through, though somewhat muted. He continued to stare at me. "Oookay. Are you lost?" This got a reaction. He nodded. I smiled. "Did you run off again? Is Sora watching you?" I knew that couldn't be possible since Sora was on a date with Kairi. So this boy must've had a new babysitter.

"My brother is. I can't find him." He spoke for the first time. His voice wasn't nearly as happy and childish as it had been when I'd last seen him. I nodded and pushed the pause on my CD player.

"What's this brother's name?" I asked as I jumped to my feet. There didn't look to be anyone around here...especially not anyone that looked remotely related to the boy.

"Riku." He answered quickly. I nodded again. There was sure to be a police officer around or a security guard or someone with authority. All I had to do was find one and that'd be the end of that. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of guy would let his little brother out of his sight in a public park like this. With all the sickos out there...

"Well c'mon then Saben. We'll go find your brother." He might have wondered how I knew his name but he didn't ask. I couldn't tell if he recognized me or not. "I'm Yuffie, by the way." He nodded. "How old are you?"

"Six."

"Six huh?" I gave him what I hoped was an impressed smile. He returned his own cocky grin. "How about-"

"Saben!" A deep voice called, sounding greatly relieved. Saben's eyes lit up. I looked in the direction of the voice and found myself looking up into the strangest aqua colored eyes I'd ever seen. The sun was momentarily blocked by his large frame, his silver (no seriously..._silver_) hair glowing almost angelically around his face. ...What was I doing! Staring! I forced myself to look at the kid. "Thanks for finding him. I told him not to run off." The man I assumed the older brother gave me a somewhat arrogant grin, exposing his perfect teeth. I supposed it ran in the family...the arrogance I mean.

"Not a problem. Glad to help." I replied honestly. Saben, now secure in his ride home, was jumping up and down, smacking a low tree branch around.

"Ah. Well. I'm-"He extended his hand.

"Riku. The older brother. I heard." I interrupted with a small smirk of my own. He raised and eyebrow and glanced at Saben questioningly. I nodded.

"Then may I ask your name?" He asked, eyes shining with amusement. I decided to play along with his little game. It had been such a long time I'd flirted...I was probably a lot rusty. Nevertheless I turned on the Kisaragi charm and tried to take advantage of my situation.

"Yuffie." I replied. Okay so maybe it wasn't time to start the flirting but hey. I had to start somewhere yeah? I pulled my sunglasses off and pulled my feet underneath me. "Would you like to sit down?"

He chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully, squinting at his younger brother. Saben was busy pretending to be Tarzan on top of the jungle gym. He beat his chest and made bad yodeling noises. "He certainly gets over his missing brother quickly." Riku observed with a shake of his head. I laughed. He grinned down at me, then at the place next to me. "Thanks." His graceful acceptance of my offer included using my shoulder to take off his shoes.

And to be perfectly honest, I really didn't mind. I reached up and held his wrist supportively. I was so comfortable with him suddenly that I felt like we'd known each other for years; like he was an old friend I hadn't seen in forever sitting down for a visit. He sighed heavily and looked up through the tree leaves at the uneven patches of clear blue sky.

"So." I began, keeping my eyes on Saben.

"So."

"I think my best friend is out with your friend."

"You think so? You know Sora?"

"Sorta. Didn't really meet him but I saw him. You know Kairi?"

"Just heard her name mentioned. Haven't met her yet." He chuckled. Both of us tensed as Saben teetered on the edge of an unbarred area of the bright, plastic and metal mixed jungle gym. He started to fall and Riku jumped to his feet immediately. He relaxed as the boy caught himself by a chain and pulled his small form back up easily. He growled under his breath and sank back down next to me.

"So Yuffie." He smiled and inquired smoothly, "You come here often?" I couldn't help but laugh at his genuine try to be suave. I could tell he was just teasing. A sense of humor...always a good thing. 'Should I flirt with him? What if he's taken? If he were taken he wouldn't be sitting in a park with me. Unless he's a slime bag...I highly doubt he's a slime bag.' In a span of maybe 3 seconds this all rushed through my mind, leaving me completely confused about what to do next.

"I. Uh." It was the only thing I could seem to say. I wasn't nervous or embarrassed at all (yet). The minute I wanted something cute to say, something to show him I was smart enough to hold an interesting conversation, my brain went to mush. "Yeah." I finally decided was a safe answer. Safe yes, smart...no.

It was his turn to laugh. "So do I. Funny I've never seen you around. Sora mentioned a friend of Kairi, I think it must've been you." He kept those cool eyes trained on me the entire time, not in an intimidating way, just in an interested sort of manner. Huh. Would you look at that? He's a listener.

"Did he? Yeah I was there when they met." I wasn't exactly sure where he was going with this but I was in it to find out. He nodded thoughtfully and looked back at Saben. So maybe he wasn't going anywhere with it.

"You ready?" He called, cupping his hand around his mouth. Saben jumped off and raced over to him, breathing quickly. Riku stood up and dusted himself off. "Well Yuffie. It was nice meeting you. Maybe tonight we could meet again?" He asked, squinting at me cutely. Yes cutely. And he pulled it off so incredibly well. I hoped I nodded. "Great. See you here around...7ish?"

"Sure. Yeah. Nice meeting you too." I found my voice...long after he'd left. I grinned to myself, all giggly-like. This park had worked for Kairi and now it was working for me, all thanks to that little boy Saben. I was getting ready to leave a little while later when I realized he'd left his shoes next to the blanket. How could anyone forget his or her shoes?

You'd have to be pretty far up on cloud nine...or at least for my sake I hoped so.

_KAIRI_

"I can't believe you live here." I stared up at the starry sky. I knew it broke every dating book rule ever created but I couldn't help sounding impressed. His backyard was the size of my apartment...times 3. That was just the backyard. Sora smiled and rolled his eyes heavenward. I saw this reaction and quickly backtracked. "I mean, it's just so...nice and you're so..."

"Not nice?"

"No! So young! I meant so young!" I suddenly felt like burying myself alive.

He chuckled. "Relax. I know what you meant. And I just live with my parents. I'm still 17 ya know." He took my hand and led me away from the lights of the porch and stopped in a dark, grassy spot a little ways away from the edge of the woods. I smiled at the evening sky.

"So do you come out here often? Ever just sit and watch the stars?" I asked a little dreamily. In the city part of the city where I lived, we could never see stars. Sora lived out on a little dirt road in a nice little community with not so little homes. I was positive he never appreciated it.

"Sometimes. You get busy. I don't normally watch the stars though."

"You have girls to watch." I winked at him. He might've blushed...maybe it was just the dark or my mind playing tricks on me.

"Not really. You're the first one I've ever really brought home."

"I'm flattered." I joked.

"You should be." He laughed. "Actually, I'd really rather watch the fireflies." He said seriously, slowly letting himself fall onto his back in the soft green grass. I followed suit, not really caring about my clothes or bugs or anything. It was all in the moment.

"Fireflies huh? Shouldn't they be out by now?" I didn't see any flickering insects floating around anywhere. He shrugged. The porch light went out, really leaving us in darkness then. The half-moon gave us just enough light to make out the other's features. My mind wandered during the silence, back over our lunch date. Afterwards he ended up surprising me with a trip to the zoo. At first it seemed like a sort of juvenile date, something you'd do when you were 14 or 15. But even I couldn't hide my love of the prairie dogs. "Why the fireflies?"

"Well what's the difference between a firefly and the stars?"

"One includes a bunch of suns a looong way away." I pointed out, grinning over at him. He did the same. "What do you mean 'what's the difference'?"

"I mean...I don't really know what I mean. I just like the fireflies better. Its something I can reach. They're tangible. The stars...I mean no one has ever really seen one up close...except for the sun but...so how do we really know they're even there?"

"Cause. We're looking at em." I shrugged.

"But how much can we trust? Honestly? I may see a certain star that you don't...but it might not be there. Things that we've never touched...we can never really tell if they're there. Maybe they're all just illusions. You know?"

"No..." I laughed. "You're not makin' sense Sora."

"Sorry." He laughed too. "Just. Something to think about I guess. Anyway. Enough of that yeah?" He sat up, shaking the grass out of his dark hair. I agreed but this time I didn't follow his example and stayed on the grass. He looked down at me with somewhat of a smile. "Who knew babysitting could turn into this huh?"

"Is that a good thing?" I asked suspiciously.

"It's...it's a very good thing." He assured me, tickling my side. I shrieked and slapped his hand away. He didn't seem phased by my reaction; in fact, it only seemed to add fuel to the fire. He waged a full on tickle war, starting with the advantage. I quickly was able to get out of his grasp and when I did, I wasted no time in tackling him. Of course, he let me. I suppose its cliché, but everything that day had been like one big romantic novel, so this felt just right. I ended up on top of him; just like every amorous culmination does...will they kiss? Or will they be rudely interrupted by...

"Sora? Is...is that you?" We both froze at the sound of a feminine voice. In the light of the moon I could see his lips form a silent curse. I shot up and off of him in record breaking time, straightening and smoothing my clothes and hair. I knew my face was warm as I glanced up at the woman with slightly graying hair and twinkling blue eyes. "Oh!" The woman seemed to realize what had been happening and turned away.

"Mom. You weren't supposed to be home until late." Sora said quickly, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I could tell he was new at this...he must've been serious about me being the only girl he'd ever seriously brought home.

"Well your father and I dear...we just got home..." She bustled away from us and toward the house, murmuring to herself quickly. I exhaled slowly and looked at Sora for guidance. What next?

"I guess...I'm meeting the folks?" I asked quietly. "And after such a lovely first impression," I added as I took his hand. "With us having a leisurely role in the grass." He snorted with laughter as he squeezed my hand and I felt accomplished. With a deep breath I prepared myself to meet the parents.

_Z-z-z-z-z-z_

Reviewer thanks:

Deplora: Aww! I don't mean to be traitorous! I really love Squffies I just...I have many favorite couples. I am not confined to only a few. Not saying you are! I just mean...blah. And you can have Squall this time...only because secretly...I have Riku. MUWHAHA.

October Breeze: AWW TANKIES CHICKIE! I despise my computer too!

Beckette: I am too... And I like your squffie by the way...you do have a squffie don't you? I could swear you do. I hope I don't look like an idiot if I'm wrong.

AeRiSdOnO: LOL I dunno if my pc will ever be fixed. But thanks for the review!

Pingpong867: Aww thanks so much! And hurry with The Reason! I want to read!

Lakura: LoL I like Riku for myself too. But hey, it's a fanfic so I gotta be generous. Well don't wait for me to convince you cause that's too much pressure!

I heart you all! 


	3. Is

_A/N: Disclaimer: I don't own it for the zillionth plus 1 time.  
_

_Chapter edited 2/25/05  
_  
_z-z-z-zYUFFIEz-z-z-z-z_

"Okay so I officially feel like an idiot." I murmured to myself, glancing at my watch. 6:50. He had 10 minutes right? I mean he did say 7ish...what if I heard him wrong and it was 6ish? What if I was late and he left already? OR what if he said 8ish and I was way too early and ended up sitting here for another hour. "Stop it. He said 7ish." I assured myself aloud. With that conflict settled, my mind needed something else to argue about. What if he was joking about meeting me? Or maybe it was a dare and he and his friends were some safe distance away, laughing about it. Maybe he was watching me from afar and enjoying my discomfort! That jerk! That evil son of a –

"Yuffie?" I looked up at the sound of my name somewhat grumpily. I guess I must've looked angrier than I'd realized because the man took a step back. "Something wrong?" Riku peered at me closely through his bright blue-green eyes. I felt an immense relief soothe my nervous mindset and I smiled.

"No sorry. I was just thinking." My answer was light and cheerful. He smiled back. A slightly awkward silence fell between us, leaving me feeling responsible to start a conversation. As I wracked my brain for something to say other than 'Yeah' or 'I, uh', I remembered his shoes. "Oh! You left barefoot today." I picked up the sneakers and handed them to him.

He laughed. "Yeah...I realized that a little too late. I was halfway home." He ran his free hand through his hair and looked around as though looking for something to talk about since his shoes didn't spark the conversation I was hoping for. "So I didn't really know what you wanted to do. We could go out for dinner or to a movie or..." He trailed off, smiling almost apologetically at me.

"How about a walk for now?" I suggested. It seemed a lot more personal than sitting in the dark and it left a lot less room for embarrassment that would undoubtedly come with dinner. I'd spill something or forget not to talk with my mouth closed or...something. Wait. When had I ever cared about that? This guy was getting to my head...Yuffie Kisaragi never let a cute guy change the way she acted. Then again...Yuffie Kisaragi never got all tongue- tied around that cute guy either.

Luckily he agreed before I could continue thinking about myself in third person. We fell into step next to each other, still not talking. This was bound to be a long night. "So how's Saben?" I asked.

"He's good. I had to sneak out since he heard me say I was coming back to the park to meet you." He smirked. I didn't doubt it. A local band a little ways away was setting up for a concert. People ran around the gazebo with various pipes and poles and stage equipment. I looked on uninterestedly. "How was Sora and Kairi's date?"

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked up into the partially night sky. "I really don't know. She wasn't at home when I got back so she must've still been out. That means its going good I guess." I smiled. I knew Kairi and she wasn't the type to sleep with a guy on the first date but they'd been out for nearly 5 or 6 hours. I was beginning to worry.

Riku nodded in agreement, oblivious to my concern. "I'd say its going good. I told him to page me if it wasn't going well and I'd call with urgent business. No offense to your friend." He added. I glared at him mockingly and he laughed. "Seriously? Sora's a good guy. She's in good hands, I'll promise you that." I studied at him temporarily. Maybe he wasn't as oblivious as I thought. Considering he wasn't blind he saw me seeing him and smirked. "See something you like?"

It was a miracle that I didn't start stuttering and turn as red if not redder than a tomato. I laughed at myself instead and found that it worked a lot better in my favor. I could tell I was relaxing and felt able to be more of myself. To an extent. I knew I'd have to give him doses of the real Yuffie in small amounts, just so he wouldn't be too overwhelmed. Riku seemed pretty calm and collected and too much of the 'Greatest Female Ninja Yuffie' might scare him off. Thinking of the Greatest Female Ninja Yuffie..."You do any sort of martial arts?"

Much to my surprise he nodded. "Sort of. I train with swords." He answered. Interested, I asked him to go on. "Nothing too serious." That was the only thing he would tell me. I accepted it somewhat curiously, but respected his privacy. "What about you?"

"I'm the Greatest Female Ninja Yuffie." I announced proudly. I hadn't expected him to laugh quite so hard. A few minutes later he caught control of himself and was able to look me in the eye without cracking up. "Are you quite finished?" I asked, pretending to be irritated. He nodded and swallowed hard.

"Continue." He sounded somewhat hoarse.

"Well I'm done now. I was serious."

"So you're a ninja."

"The greatest." I repeated, grinning. He gave me a mock-impressed look and smirked.

"And modest too."

"Well you know I do what I can." I answered shyly, shrugging. We were back where we started now. The area near the gazebo was filling up fast as the sounds of a practicing guitar replaced the sound of the buzzing insects. "You still up for that dinner?"

He stretched and nodded. "Sounds good. Now...what do you want?"

"That's not my decision."

"Yes it is."

"_No_ it's not. I don't do good with decisions, you pick."

"Your choice."

"Riku."

"Yuffie."

"I'll kill you."

He laughed again. "Oh I forgot. The Greatest Female Ninja right?" I nodded importantly. With a dramatic sigh he said, "Fine...I think...it's still your choice."

I whined, "Rikuuu. Lets just go!"

"Where?" That smirk, as attractive as it most certainly was, was starting to annoy me.

"Don't even start!"

_z-z-z-zRIKUz-z-z-z-z_

"I can't believe you talked me into this." She whispered, putting her hands over her eyes. Riku almost smiled, but realized the possible death that could bring if she noticed. He kept his eyes on the gory scene in front of him, flinching slightly as the guy was lifted onto the hook. He decided not to point out that it was her suggestion to watch it. Yuffie didn't even bother peeking.

"Its over." He whispered none too quietly. Except for the few couples near the front, they were alone in the big theater. Yuffie looked through her fingers timidly. When she decided it was in fact safe to look she let them fall.

"This movie is horrible!" She grumbled.

"You want to leave?"

"...No." She sighed quietly. "I'm strangely interested in it." He smirked at her pretend bravery. She was fine for a while, during a calm period. When Jessica Biel started running through the sheets Yuffie once again hid her face...this time in Riku's shoulder. He looked down in surprise at the self- proclaimed greatest ninja.

"Um. Yuffie?" He whispered, poking her side in an attempt to move her but she didn't respond. On screen, Biel's character screamed and he could feel Yuffie jump. He truly fought to keep from laughing. She noticed his struggle and pinched his arm. "YOWCH!" He yelped, earning himself a few justly deserved glares from the few moviegoers. She snickered and gave him a smug look. The look vanished as the chainsaw roared and her face disappeared safely back into his chest.

He sighed, defeated, and allowed his arm to fall securely around her shoulders. Her body relaxed significantly the millisecond he touched her. The massacre on screen didn't seem to bother her anymore. She simply kept her eyes hidden in his side. He found himself desperately trying to keep his mind on the movie and not on the young woman clinging to him. The ending voice finished his narration with a sort of ominous tone and Yuffie found it safe to look. The credits rolled as the lights came on, signaling the few people in the theater to file out.

Yuffie stood, unwinding her arms from around him and stretched her arms over her head with a yawn. "Well that movie sucked." She announced.

Riku snorted at her in disbelief. "What are you talking about? You didn't even watch it!"

"Yeah? Well...I could hear it! And I know how it ended cause it was true story!" She stuck her tongue out at him in an immature yet endearing way.

Riku warned, "And they never did catch leatherface." Yuffie, who already knew the story, paled somewhat at that memory but hid it behind a sneer. Out in the lobby, the few people seeing the late movies filed out. The theater employees were looking tired and worn, happy to be closing down. Riku noted it was nearly midnight. He held the door open and let Yuffie out into the night first. She turned at the edge of the sidewalk and looked at him. He caught her eye and paused in his step. "What?"

"Hmm? Nothing." Yuffie shook her head and looked over his shoulder back into the lobby. "I just thought I saw someone. False alarm."

"Oh. Well are we...gonna go then?" He craned his neck to be in her field of vision.

"Sure. Yeah." She laughed. "Sorry it's late. I'm out of it." She waved her hand in front of her face to emphasize her point. Riku could sympathize. He led her to his black Miata and opened the door. She slid in and he shut it. In the driver's seat, he turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. "You know where I live?" Yuffie asked. When Riku shook his head she explained, It's a ways from here. The easiest route...just get on the freeway until you hit exit 231. It's the first set of apartments you'll see. Water Oaks." She directed, letting her head fall back against the seat.

"231?" Riku repeated, pulling out of the parking lot.

"Mmmhmm." She stifled another yawn.

Riku smirked at her. "Tired?"

"Mmmhmm." She said again as her eyes locked on him. He glanced at her self- consciously but didn't really mind once he saw she seemed about a million miles away anyway. He fiddled with the air conditioner, then let his hand rest on the emergency break. Suddenly he felt Yuffie's warm fingers snake through his. He wasn't sure what to think at first, but soon a smile pulled at his lips.

Once they were driving safely along the highway Riku started to ask, "Which- "He glanced over and quickly shut his mouth. She was asleep, breathing soft and steady. He caught himself staring at her flawless skin and perfectly shaped lips. He noticed the way her hair fell against her face, dark and contrasting. His eyes snapped back to the road quickly, straightening the wheel. He shook his head and slipped his hand out of hers to turn the air conditioner back on low. He had to keep his mind off her or a wreck would be in their immediate future.

He pulled off on the right exit and stopped at the red light. Sure enough a large sign announcing the entrance to 'Water Oaks' lit the path toward the apartment complex. He slowed the car and gently pushed Yuffie's shoulder. She stirred, yawning. "Which one?" Riku peered out at the buildings.

"260 Twilight Pass. Its 7A." She smiled tiredly. "Sorry."

"Not a problem." He shrugged. She pointed to her building and he parked. "I'll walk you to the door."

"You don't have to-"

"I insist." He was already out of the car and heading for her side. She got out and quickly wiped her mouth.

"Blah. Drool." She murmured and he laughed. They waked to her door in silence. Yuffie pulled the key out of her pocket and bit her lip. "Do you...want to come in?" She sounded unsure of herself. He wasn't sure if she didn't want him to come in and was just being polite, or if she was just nervous he would get the wrong impression of her and/or shoot her down

"If you want. I could probably use your bathroom if you didn't mind." He found that a safe excuse.

"Sure. Come on in." She looked relieved as she unlocked the door and flipped on the light. An adjacent room's door was halfway open, music emitting loud music. "Kairi's home." Yuffie smiled, tossing the key onto the small wooden table by the door. "Kai!" She poked her head in. Riku waited outside, glancing around the room. A white couch sat against a wall decorated with pictures and paintings, sitting across from a good-sized TV. He noted her living room was also her kitchen and dining room. "Riku. This is Kairi." His attention was turned to the pretty redhead.

He smiled and extended his hand. "Hi. Its nice to finally meet you."

Kairi smiled back. "So you're Saben's brother? Sora mentioned you." She grinned at Yuffie. They shared a glance Riku couldn't read. An awkward silence followed, at least until Yuffie remembered his need for a bathroom and pointed him in the right direction. The last thing he heard as he shut the door was a quiet laugh.

_z-z-zYUFFIEz-z-z-z_

"He's hot." Kairi announced as I waltzed back into the living room with a rather dreamy expression. I snickered and nodded. Kairi's eyes sparkled mischievously. "You like him."

"Well yeah."

"No...you _like_ him like him." She giggled, sitting on the couch with one leg underneath her. I couldn't seem to stop the smile spreading across my face.

"Its early yet." I shrugged, sitting next to her. She rolled her blue eyes, impish grin still marking her features. I remembered her date and quickly turned the tables. "And what about you! How'd it go?" Kairi's grin turned a little modest and she lowered her eyes.

"It was very good."

"AND! Chick you can't do that to me." I exclaimed. Kairi scolded me into lowering my voice.

"Nothing too serious happened. We went out for lunch and then to the zoo...and then back to his place." She shrugged nonchalantly. I gave her an evil eye. It saved my breath AND got my point across. "Not like _that_." She hissed. "We just talked about fireflies and...I met his parents. They were really nice considering."

"Considering?"

"Considering they found us having a tickle war in their backyard." I howled with laughter. "I'm not kidding!"

"Sounds like you two had a good time." A deep voice chuckled from the short hallway. Riku arrived with a smirk. Kairi's eyes widened as her face turned a fierce shade of red.

"Were you eavesdropping?" I asked in mock-anger as I stood up. He shook his head, leaning against the wall.

"I happened to overhear the last part is all." He looked at Kairi with teasing aqua eyes. "And he'll be happy to hear you had a great time."

"Don't you dare tell him anything I said!" Kairi shrieked, laughing in spite of herself. She chucked a throw pillow in his direction playfully and he caught it effortlessly, tossing it onto the couch where I had been sitting.

"Relax. Your secret is safe with me." He assured her and then spared a glance at me. "I think I should be getting home." I glanced at the clock and was surprised to see it was 12:30.

"Yeah. I think so too." I said. He said goodnight to Kairi and followed me outside. I shut the door for some privacy. He turned to me, his all black attire partially fitting in with the night. He looked down at me with his thousandth smirk of the night. "So."

"So." He repeated. "It was fun."

"Fun. Yeah."

"I'll call you?"

"You have my number?"

"No." He laughed. "But Sora does. I'll get it from him." I nodded and an uncomfortable silence followed, leaving us staring at each other, wondering what to do next. "Well. Night." He said finally. I nodded again.

'Do something!' I thought. Before he could walk away I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a shy peck on the cheek. He closed his eyes for a second then shot me a painstakingly handsome smile.

"What are you? My grandmother?" He asked. Before I could decipher his meaning he lowered his lips to mine in a kiss that nearly knocked me off my feet. "I'll definitely be calling you." He murmured, mouth still on mine. I couldn't help it. I started to laugh. He chuckled and straightened. Without a word from either of us he walked off toward his car, hands buried in his pockets. I barely managed to make it inside, lock the door, and fall onto the equally euphoric Kairi before squealing in ecstasy.

She didn't even have to ask.

_THE END_

A/N:

October breeze: Hehe. Okay! This was fluffy! Sorta...not really. Blah. Okay thanks so much for reviewing!

Blueyedemon1: You should go read the Yuriku stories! They're so cool!

Pingpong867: You know I never thought of him as flirty until you said that. And you know...he WOULD be. He'd have to know he was agonizingly gorgeous...and he would probably use that to his advantage. Anyway, THANK you for the review!

Qwicksilver: Well I have to say, you definitely helped inspire my Yuriku attraction with that story of yours. BTW...are you ever gonna update! Oh and good luck with finals. They suck I know. RUFFIE! How cute is that!

Lakura:D Thanks sooo much!

Deplora: I can only do first person with girls...as you can tell. I can never get inside a guys head. But thank you so much for this email. You always write such fantastic reviews and I always feel so good after reading them. You are definitely inspiring in both your reviews AND your stories!

Moonflow-Kairi:D THANKIES! Aww these kinds of reviews are so cool!

I heart ya'll! Thanks for reading my experiment! 


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